Japan’s Health Diplomacy:
Projecting Soft Power in the Era of Global Health

Hisashi Kato, Tim K. Mackey, & Yee K. Heng

Few scholars have studied the use of “Global Health Diplomacy” by the Japanese Government, a unique form of diplomacy that relies on the use of “soft power” and “smart power” but also one that is undergoing changes based on current geopolitical developments in Japan and the Asia-pacific region. This article will provide a review of the literature based on a multilingual document review on Japanese global health diplomacy by examining how health diplomacy has been used by the Japanese government in furtherance of broader foreign policy and diplomatic goals in the international fora. This article will also discuss the limitations of Japan’s nascent health diplomacy strategy and possible challenges in the near-future; specifically, the possible revision of Article 9 of its Constitution.